What Swedes are like

Around the world, there are plenty of ideas about Swedish people — many of them based on myths. For example, that everyone here is blond and shy. Or that they ski to work and spend their time dodging moose and polar bears on the streets of Stockholm. But if you ask Swedes what they think of themselves, you’d be more likely to hear about equality and fairness — rather than fighting polar bears (which live near the North Pole, thousands of miles away).

In reality, the myth of Swedish shyness has some truth to it. People here tend to listen before they speak. On the one hand, this has to do with politeness and rationality. On the other hand, there’s the old principle of jantelagen, which more or less means you shouldn’t try to appear to be better than others. In practice, this means Swedish people don’t tend to boast or draw attention to themselves — and they don’t cut in line before it’s their turn. But some of these attitudes are changing quickly, especially among the younger generation. Individualism runs strong, and younger people are not afraid to show it.

Above all, at the heart of this is a strong spirit of equality. Swedish people try to treat everyone equally, regardless of job titles or social status. If there is a problem in a restaurant, a guest will tell the waitress, rather than asking for her manager. The expectation is that things will get done because everyone feels equally responsible.

The spirit of equality affects the Swedish culture in a number or ways. Leadership decisions are to a large degree consensus-based — because everyone’s opinion is considered worthwhile. It also helps explain why people here may come across as quiet or shy. Soft-spoken Swedes might at first seem pretentious or disinterested, when in fact they’re just giving others the room to speak.